Hood fastener mechanism



April 1, 1941 E. F. REYNOLDS 2,237,060

HOOD FASTENER MECHANISM Filed Sept. 12, 1939 nventor Gttornegs Patented Apr. 1, 1941 General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a

corporation of Delaware Application September 12, 1939, Serial No. 294,517

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to hood latches and has particular reference to a latch for holding in lowered position the hood doors of automotive vehicles. l

Due to the curving or streamlining of the extreme tip or nose of the hood, there has been a tendency for the tip of the hood doors to oscillate slightly when in closed position. This oscillation has been caused by the large part of the On the drawing plied.

open or partially raised position.

ure 1.

hood door between the forwardmost hood hinge side 6. and hood catch and the tip of the door, and in form a more rigid construction. order to enable the curved tip of the hood door At the cowl end of the rod 40 the crank arm to be secured more firmly in position, an addi- 46 is provided and at the grille end a second crank tional latchadapted to engage and hold the 48 is provided and these cranks 46 and 48 engage tip of the door-has been provided as an auxl5 under the flanged edge 58 on the hood door when iliary to the usual latching equipment. The adthe door is in lowered position. ditional catch comprises a crank arm placed on brackets 52 are provided on the flanged edge 50 the end of the usual longitudinally mounted latch to receive the cranks 46 and 48. rod. A link secured to thisl crank arm operates The end of link passing through the sector a pivoted latch which engages under a catch sezo plate 26 forms the pivoting center for sector cured to the underside of the hood door. plate 26 when link 36 is assembled to the correct one of the three holes in the sector plate to ac- Figure 1 is a more or less perspective View of quire the correct tension between crank arms the hood of an automotive vehicle with the door 46 and 48 and flanged edge 50. in open position and showing the invention apz5 At the grille end of rod 40 a third crank 54 is provided, and to this crank the link 56 is con- Figure 2 is a section through the structure of nected. 'I'he other end of the link is connected Figure 1 showing the invention applied, the hood by an adjustable connection 51 to the lower end door at the right being in latched position and 58 of a latch arm 60 pivoted at 62 between the the hood door at the left being unlatched and in 3o brackets 64 secured to the underside of the dome 66, positioned at the front of the vehicle under 4 Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figthe hood and secured over the grille 8 and the radiator. The dome is provided with suitable Referring to the drawing, the numeral 2 indi openings 68 through which the upper or latch cates an automotive vehicle as a whole. The ve- 3.3 ends 10 of the latching arms En project. hle has the COWI 4, permanent h00d Side 5, the ends 'I0 are provided with a head and adapted to grille 8, and the hood doors I0. The hood doors engage a catch formed on the end of a menu u. extend to the extrem? forwjnd epd of the Ve strip 82 secured to the underside of the hood hcle and eich doortermmaies 11121511" The hood door. The strip a2 extends the fun width of ggreclllg 2'; glgllgrrlulhyg 40 the door and is secured at its lower end to the from the position shown at the right of Figure 2 ane 50 as lownt g4 and at lts upper end to the position shown at the left of Figure 2. The o t e flange on e Oor hood side piece has the louver or decorative mat- When.. the Operator moves the haildle M. )Phe ter I2 at the front part on which a handle I4 is 45 parts Wm be mofed from the full h ne position pivoted as at I6. In its closed position the handle at the mgm' of Flgure 2 to the fun lme posltlon g4 is flush with the hood side and with the to the left of Figure 2 and this movement will louver |2 Beyond the pivot |5 the extension |3 release the latch ends 'I0 as well as the cranks has a, link 2n secured thereto by the pin and S101-, 46 and 48 to enable the hood door to be raised. connection 22. A spring 24 is secured vto, the eX- 50 When the door at the left of Figure 2 is lowered treme tip of the arm I8 and at its other end secured to the lin'k 20. The spring always urges the handle I4 to a position in parallelism with the hood side 6. The other end of the link 20 is pivoted -through the tension adjusting sector plate 26 into a bar 28. The bar 28 is pivoted at 30 to an inner reinforcing plate 32 secured to the hood side 6. The sector plate 26 has three openings at its edge and in one oi these openings the bent end 34 of a second link 36 is received. The end 34 also passes through a mating opening in the bar 28. The other end of the link 36 is secured to a crank 38 formed in a rod 40 mounted in bearings 42 at the upper edge of the hood The hood side is inturned as at 44 to Preferably,

The

to the position shown at the right of Figure 2, the flange will engage over or mate with the flange 44 and then by pushing the handle I4 from the position shown in Figure 1 inwardly, the crank arms 46 and 48 and the latch end I0 Will engage under their respective catches to hold the hood door in latched position.

I claim:

1. In a latching mechanism for the hinged hood door of an automotive vehicle, said door extending to the extreme forward end of the vehicle, a rod or shaft journally mounted on the vehicle adjacent the hood door, means to operate the shaft, means on the shaft to engage the hood door when in lowered position to latch the hood, and a separate latch operatively connected to and spaced from the shaft and capable of engaging the tip of the door when in lowered position tightly to hold the tip in latched position.

2. In a latching mechanism for the hinged hood door of an automotive vehicle, said door extending to the extreme forward end of the vehicle, means operatively to engage the edge of the door to hold the door in latched position, and a separate latch operatively connected to and simultaneously operative with the said means to engage the tip of the door tightly to hold the tip in latched position.

3. In a latching mechanism for the hinged hood door of an automotive vehicle, said door extending to the extreme forward end of the vehicle, means operative from the exterior of the hood for latching the edge of the door in lowered position, a crank on said means, a link connected to the crank, a pivoted latching element connected to the link, and a catch on the door adapted to be engaged by the latching element to retain the tip of the door in latched position.

4. In a latching mechanism for the hinged hood door of an automotive vehicle, said door extending to the extreme forward end of the vehicle, means operative from the exterior of the hood for latching the edge of the door in lowered position, a crank on said means, a link connected to the crank, a dome at the front of the vehicle and under the hood door, a latching element pivotally mounted on the dome and connected to the link, and a catch on the door adapted to be engaged by the latching element to retain the tip of the door in latched position.

5. In a means for latching the tip of the hood door of an automotive vehicle, said tip being downwardly and forwardly curved and extending to the extreme forward end of the Vehicle, a mechanism extending longitudinally of the hood to latch the side of the door, a separate latching element operably connected to and spaced from said mechanism, and a catch on the tip engageable with said latching element to hold the tip in latched position.

EDWARD F. REYNOLDS. 

